What happened to the three Thai players Shinawatra signed for City?

Thaksin Shinawatra took over Manchester City in 2007 targeting “domination of the world game”; signing three unknown Thai players was a strange way of going about it.
We spoke to Sven-Goran Eriksson about the crazy year he spent working under Shinawatra, who finally stopped speaking to the early England coach, as City started the temper brilliantly but faded away to finish ninth in the Premier League .
One of the odd footnotes of Shinawatra ’ s ownership came with the signings of three Thai players – Teerasil Dangda, Kiatprawut Saiwaeo and Suree Sukha – who never actually appeared in a competitive game for the golf club.

In fact, ascribable to the poor ranking of the Thailand national team, none of the players flush qualified for a study license in England .
As Javi Garrido told ITV in 2017 : “ When that type of person is in charge of a baseball club, they can try to make the players from their own nation stronger, and I think that is the rationality they signed players from Thailand. ”
The entirely time the trio always pulled on a City shirt came at the end of 2007-08, when they came off the workbench in a post-season friendly against a Thai League All-Stars XI. City were beaten 3-1, with Dangda seeing a finish ruled out .
We ’ ve taken a closer look at the subsequent careers of those three players to see what became of the some of City ’ s most bizarre signings .

Teerasil Dangda

Dangda was only 19 when he joined City, having been an idle member of Thailand ’ sulfur asian Cup police squad that summer, and was sent on loanword to Swiss outfit Grasshoppers, where he again failed to make a competitive appearance for the first team .
however, the striker hush insists he benefited from his spell in Europe .
“ The time at City was helpful for me as I gained valuable experiences, ” Dangda told FIFA in 2011. “ It helped me step up from the amateur degree to the professional flat .
“ It broadened my vision and I learned the importance of having the right attitude to far improve myself. Most importantly, it helped me make up my mind to continue my football career .
“ I besides had to adapt to the european direction on discipline and mentality. I learned I had to have self confidence in my techniques and skills and with that I could break through some of Asia ’ s traditional social values such as longevity. ”
Since leaving City after a year, Dangda has carved out an impressive career, helping Muangthong United – for whom he has played alongside Robbie Fowler and Jay Bothroyd – win a count of honours and attracting enough of interest in Europe .
Fowler himself singled out Dangda for limited praise, telling FourFourTwo : “ I thought he was a superb musician and had everything. He could be anything he wants on a football pitch. ”
He has spent meter on trial at QPR, Getafe and Atletico Madrid ( true due to a partnership with Muangthong ), while he was besides a target for Trabzonspor .
Dangda ’ s most significant move came with a loanword enchantment at Almeria, becoming the foremost Southeast Asian football player to appear in La Liga american samoa well as scoring in a 4-3 victory against Real Betis in the Copa Del Rey .
Dangda captains Thailand ’ s national side, for whom he has scored 45 goals in 104 caps.


READ: Sven-Goran Eriksson: Shinawatra stopped speaking to me at Man City

Kiatprawut Saiwaeo

While Dangda used his City spell as a springboard, Saiwaeo could not quite match the heights his team-mate reached .
The centre-back was 21 at the time of his move but could not work his way into Club Brugge ’ south first base team while on loanword from City .
After leaving England, he returned to Thailand to play the majority of his club football for Chonburi and Chiangrai United, earning 36 caps in the procedure .
however, at the senesce of equitable 32, Saiwaeo was forced to retire due to a chronic stifle injury .
Thaksin Shinawatra
READ: Michael Ball recalls Man City ‘madness’: Thaksin Shinawatra gave us a team talk

Suree Sukha

“ I believe in myself, I believe I can make it, this doesn ’ metric ton have anything to do with politics, ” Sukha said upon joining City .
“ It ’ s capital that Thai players have this probability. I want to do a commodity problem at City. Thaksin is the owner, and he says he wants to improve Thai football – there ’ s nothing incorrectly with that. ”
sadly, the full-back ’ s home team passenger car Charnwit Polcheewin did not get the memo. “ We know this is political, but this is not the only argue, ” Polcheewin said, although he was confident the 24-year-old could make an impact in England .
“ I saw Suree ’ s performance on trial in Manchester, he was excellent and Sven was print. I absolutely believe this was Sven ’ s decision and not Thaksin ’ south .
“ I think Suree can make it because City have some problems in the right-back stead. He will improve a fortune there. ”
Sukha – who won 68 caps over a six-year international career – was the most experience of the trio at the time of the go, joining City as a 24-year-old. Alongside Dangda, he was sent on loanword to Grasshoppers, where you will be surprised to hear he failed to make a first-team appearance .
He then followed Saiwaeo to Chonburi and enjoyed batch of success at Buriram United under the management of former Real Madrid young boss Alejandro Menendez. Since leaving Buriram in 2016, he has bounced around four Thai clubs in four years .

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